


Squip:Become Human (Not a Crossover)

by StarLover123



Category: Be More Chill
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Not a Crossover, please like my writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2020-05-28 16:47:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 15,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19398277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarLover123/pseuds/StarLover123
Summary: Jeremy Heere's Squip was given two options. Destroy itself. or Become human.It chooses the Latter and gets sent back in time to be born a human being.15 years later, he meets someone he'd hoped to never meet again.His host. Jeremy Heere.





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so Cringe warning. this is Bad. 
> 
> BUT IT GETS BETTER!!! I PROMISE! JUST BEAR WITH ME!
> 
> Also i use he pronouns when i meant to use It pronouns for Squip in this. And honestly i'm too lazy t go back and change it. this is litterally the only chapter he's a squip. so get over it.

The Squip hadn’t felt this pain before. I mean, it’d only been in existence for a few months. Probably not even. But this pain was worse than it'd ever felt before... It was probably what humans would describe as being stabbed… Or shot... it was dying… It wasn’t pleasant at all…

“Jeremy!” He called out. The Squipped students screaming. “J-Jeremy?? Jere-re...” it tried to speak but it's voice wouldn’t work. it tried to wail out a cry for help. But nothing came out. 

And suddenly everything's black. 

it could barely move. it tried to walk left. But it seemed to run into something. A wall? maybe? So it tried right. Another wall. Backwards? Nope. Another wall. The only way left way forward. And there was it's "panel". Where it controlled things inside of Jeremy. It was all greyed out. Except for two buttons. One that said shutdown, which Squip knew would basically just put it out of existence, But- would still be better than this black void. The other said human. It’d turn it human… it didn’t have the knowledge of how they could do this, and as far as it knew, this shouldn’t be possible. 

The Squip was hesitant to press one. But… it needed to make a choice. So he pressed one. ‘Human’. Lights began to blink around it. A loud sound of “warning, warning, warning!” and the panel changed. ‘Are you sure? This is unfinished.’ The Squip rolled it's eyes. Of course they sent it out without finishing this feature. Humans were very stupid. But it was a better option than waiting in the void to be reactivated. Or being completely shutdown. So, he clicked yes. 

The lights continued blaring. Glitches swirled around it, as if transforming it. It hurt a little bit. No, **_A LOT!_ ** So much so that it began to scream. It wanted Jeremy back. It wasn’t in pain with Jeremy. So it screamed “Jeremy!” Nothing. “You can’t get rid of me that easily!” Still nothing. “Jeremy, p L e A S e!!” The Squip began to _cry_ . it'd never cried before. It never had a reason to. It couldn’t _feel_ , but somehow, it just _felt_ things now. Suddenly. a bright light corrupted it. Now it was in a new room. 

“His name… is Stephen…” 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 and a half pages on google docs and 1691 words. 
> 
> AHHHHHHH

The Squip - or Stephen Williams as it- _he_ was now called - grew up as any normal human would. Except for the fact that he remembered everything. Being The Squip, Jeremy. He never forgot. He started talking very early on, too. Exceptionally smart. 

And Stephen liked to talk about being The Squip. 

At first though… His parents thought he was just imaginative, a free soul. But as he got older, it got worrisome. And by third grade, he was a freak… ‘insane’. Soon enough, his parents had made him take therapy. It didn’t take long for Stephen to convince the therapist that he was fine. But his parents insisted he kept taking it, which Stephen wasn’t a particularly big fan of. But it was helpful in some situations. So he didn’t mind too much. 

The teasing continued throughout the rest of Elementary, into Middle School, and High School. But during his Junior year, his dad got a new job (His mom worked from home). So they moved to New Jersey. It was going to be a new start. No more teasing. He’d get to follow his own advice for once. The only bad part about the move was that he was going to Middle Borough High School. Jeremy’s school.

The first day came quicker than expected. And soon enough, he was waking up early to _do his **business**_ and leave for school. 

“Stephen! I made you breakfast!” his mom called as he made his way downstairs. He quickly landed on the ground floor, walking over to the kitchen table where his mother stood, placing a plate of eggs and bacon on the table. Many mornings, Stephen wasn’t interested in breakfast. But he never had the heart to say no to his mother. So just like any other morning, he sat down and ate as quickly as possible, stuffing food in his face. He stood back up and grabbed his backpack as he swallowed his last few bites. “Thanks, mom! Gotta go! Don’t want to be late for my first day!” he called. His mom rushed over to him from her spot at the kitchen table to give him a hug. “Have a great first day! And remember-.” Stephen interrupted her, “Don’t talk about the Squip. I Know. I’ve learned my lesson, Mom. I really gotta get going.” His Mom let go. “Okay. Be safe!” Stephen nodded, opening the door and looking back at his mother. He walked out of the house and closed the door, expecting his mom to lock it. 

Stephen made his way down the street, watching the cars go by on the road beside him. He could have taken the bus. He just didn’t feel like it. He wasn’t in the mood. Kids on the bus are loud. He liked the quiet nature of walking to school. It made him happy. And he liked that feeling. Even in the -1° weather.

As he walked to school, he caught a familiar feeling. Especially as the school came into view. And when he was right at the gates, he stopped. “Still not gonna be the cool guy. But maybe not so left out,” he mumbled to himself with a smile. He was then pushed over. Or more so, fallen on top of, letting out an _‘OOF’_ sound as he and another person hit the ground. 

“Oh my god! I'm so sorry!” the boy who fell on him said, standing up, offering Stephen a hand. So Stephen took it, standing up and wiping off his jeans before looking up at the boy who’d fallen on him. And froze in shock. 

It was _Jeremy._

“You alright?” Jeremy asked, to which Stephen nodded, coming out of his frozen shocked haze. “U-Uh, yeah. Just in a bit of a shock. I'm kinda nervous,“ he said, clearing his throat, to which Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, I get it. New schools are always difficult. But hey, we've gotten a lot better over the past month or so. So don't sweat it. ” he said, giving Stephen a pat on the shoulder and walking off with a wave. He seemed a lot cooler than he did while Squip was Inside- Okay that sounds weird. But it was good to know Stephen shaped Jeremy out. 

Stephen let out a sigh of relief, shaking off his nerves and beginning to walk into the school. 

“Jeremy!” a girls voice called out. Stephen’s gaze followed the voice. It was Christine, the girl Jeremy had been pinning after for years. Jeremy walked up to her, greeting her and giving her a kiss. 

_Guess I did my job._

“What?” A voice came. Someone he didn't recognize. He whipped around, facing the girl. She had long, bright red hair and hazel eyes. Definitely taller than him. But then again, everyone was. He was always the short kid. He looked up at her, clearing his throat. “Oh! I must have said that out loud! Sorry about that.“ The girl chuckled. “It’s alright. Didn’t seem too weird.” 

The girl outstretched her hand. “You must be new. I’m Selena, Selena Soto.” Stephen smiled, taking her hand to shake. “Stephen, Stephen- uh- Williams,” he said awkwardly, adding a wink to mask his awkwardness before beginning to walk away, leaving Selena very confused. Selena began to chase after him. “Hey, wait! I can show you around!” she called after him. He turned around, walking backwards. “Well, you could show me wear locker 247 is. But I’d like to think I know this place pretty well.” Stephen turned back around as Selena caught up with him. 

“You’ve only been here a few minutes. How do you know your way around already?” Stephen glanced at Jeremy. “I have my ways.”

  
  


When they got to his locker, Stephen, like any normal person, put his stuff away before turning to Selena. “So, tell me about the popular kids in this school,” he said, leaning against his locker and someone else's. He figured it'd be good to get an outside point of view on the people he knew, and to see how their status's changed. 

Selena had to think for a minute, looking around and pointing to a tall guy that Stephen recognized as Jake. “That's Jake Dillinger. He’s a bit of a player. He likes everything. He tries anything and everything. But he and his friends have been very passionate about the school plays since about a month ago. And because of Christine.” _He tries everything to avoid the feeling he’s not good enough_.

“Rich is popular because…. Well, I'm not sure. He was quite the bully for a while. But then he set a fire at Jake’s house and got sent to the hospital. When he came back, he was a lot nicer to everyone. And Had a Lisp.” Ah, yes. Stephen remembered the night. Jeremy was really upset to find alcohol affected him. 

“Brooke, Chloe, and Jenna. They are the hottest girls in school. Everyone wants to date them. That's really the only reason they’re popular. But Christine, on the other hand, is popular because she almost dated Jake and is dating Jeremy. But she LOVES theatre. She’s such a theatre geek,” Selena continued. _Chloe is obsessed with status. She’s scared of losing it._

“And Jeremy. Jeremy Heere. No one really knows how he got popular. One day he was just kinda brought into the popular group, lost the glasses, and after The Play, brought his best friend Michael into the group.” The bell rang, signaling they ought to get to class. “Well, since you seem to know your way around, I’ll leave you to get to class on your own. See ya!” Selena said, walking off. 

1st period went by relatively fast. Especially with him getting every answer correct. And basically doing the work for everyone else. 

Second period he had with Selena, in which he bet her $20 he could get into the popular group by the end of the day. 

And third period he had with Jeremy, which was his chance. But he didn’t do anything until after class. 

“Hey! Jeremy!” Jeremy turned around. “How do you know my name?” Stephen froze up. He hadn’t thought about that. But then he remembered this morning. “Oh! My friend was telling me about you! Mysterious popular guy, huh?” Jeremy seemed to light up with embarrassment. “Oh. I-I guess so.” Stephen chuckled before adding on, “Well, I heard your girlfriend… And your group in general likes theatre. I happen to be an actor. I was hoping you could introduce me.” Jeremy chuckled. “Sure. Why not? Follow me.” Stephen made a quick and very silent victory before following Jeremy.

The first reaction to him from Jeremy’s friends was from Chloe. 

“Who’s the Hottie?” And, of course. A light smack to the arm came from Brooke as soon as Chloe said that.

“Name’s Stephen, Stephen Williams.” Christine seemed interested. “Like the guy who directed Lost?” Stephen chuckled. “Yeah. You really know your stuff.” Christine chuckled “Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd… “ The group seemed to laugh at that. So Stephen did too. 

“Well I’m a bit of an actor.” Christine gasped, turning to the group. “OH! Mister Reyes pulled me aside this morning! He said we’d be able to do another play this year because of the success of the first one!” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Only because of the Squips…” 

“Chloe! New Person!” Brooke had to yell at her, causing Chloe to blush. Of course, Stephen was very aware of Squips... Being one himself. 

Chloe was about to apologize when Stephen added, “Squip’s interfered with your Play, huh? Midsummer's Nightmare?” The group stared at him for a few seconds before Jeremy spoke up. “How do you-” 

“My friend told me.” The group seemed to share a collective sigh of relief. “But I did know about Squips before coming here. A guy I knew had one to get the love of his current girlfriend. Almost destroyed the school.” Of course, he was walking about Jeremy. But what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them. 

“Sounds Like Jeremy,” Michael pitched in, to which the group gave a nervous chuckle. Michael was always the smart one. He’d probably figure him out before he got the chance to tell Jeremy. 

“Well, history repeats itself, now doesn’t it? In fact, maybe it repeats itself so much. You can all give me your numbers and I can join your group. Group of theatre loving kids.” Of course. The line struck the group to laugh and agree. They even invited him to sit at their lunch table. So, let's just say… 

Stephen made $20 that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was written before the New Cast album came out so YES IT HAS SOME SYNC UP LYRICS. SUE ME.


	3. Chapter 2

After school was the next time he saw Jeremy, who invited Stephen to join him and his friends at the mall. Usually, the mall was a Friday thing. But they had no school Friday and decided to change it to Monday. So Stephen agreed, grabbing his stuff at his locker and following Jeremy to the group. They went to Michael’s car, who’d since been upgraded in order to fit his larger, ever-growing friend group. This time. Rich was there. Rich was taller than Stephen, which really ticked him off. 

“Oh my god! I never thought I’d live to see the day!” Jake laughed, making Stephen grumble and hide away in the collar of his jacket. “You guys know I’m younger than you, right? I skipped a grade,” he mumbled from the collar of his jacket. Of course. Rich wasn't laughing because this was about him being short.

“Really?”

“Yeah. If I was with my age group, I'd be a sophomore. But I have a _very_ good memory.” 

The ride to the mall was mainly the group getting to know more about Stephen, which felt nice, seeing as Stephen didn't have many friends back at his old school. 

“Why'd you move, Stephen?” Michael pitched in. Just great. “I-uh, my dad got a new job here. Plus, I wanted to get out of there anyway. For personal reasons.” Michael was about to ask, press for details, but Jeremy stopped him, and the two began to whisper. 

Jake was the next to speak up, lightly pinching Stephen’s arm. “Well, you're with us now, Home Slice!” Stephen smiled. This was going to be a good day. 

So the group arrived at the mall and wandered around for a little while. Brooke and Chloe wasted time and bought a few things. Michael and Jeremy geeked out over old video games. Jake and Rich talked about whatever sport was in season. Stephen and Christine geeked over theatre. 

“I really like to play villain roles. Or at least, grumpy character roles, like Dionysus or King George III,” Stephen mentioned as they sat down to eat some food, noticing the body language of Jeremy and Christine. Something was off but he ignored it as he was suddenly called from behind.

“Stephen!” It was Selena, his new friend. She was nice but she wasn't in the group. She preferred not to be. Selena kneeled down next to him at the table. “Hey. When are we gonna work on that project?” Ah right. Stephen forgot. The project from second period. 

“Tomorrow. After school.” Selena nodded, standing up with something in her hand. Mountain Dew. He could see the group cringe. “By the way, want the rest of this?” Stephen paused before shaking his head. “Nah. Makes me faint. Chemicals and stuff.” Selena nodded. “Alright. See ya tomorrow!” She said walking away. 

Stephen placed his head on the table and groaned. “Is that true?” Someone at the table spoke up. Turns out, it was Chloe. So Stephen sat up, shrugging. “I mean, kinda, yeah. It’s… complicated. I’ll tell you guys about it sometime later. But, not now. I’d rather you trust me first,” he said jokingly, chuckling, causing the group to chuckle too. “What? Got some kind of dark secret?” Christine jokes, to which Stephen leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and arms. “Maybe… Maybe my evil plan is just coming into action!” Christine began to laugh, while the rest let out a giggle at his joke. He was glad they seemed to trust him (except for Michael). But the thought of the truth and how he could tell them, mainly Jeremy. How they’d react. It scared him. But he shook it off. BONDING TIME GUYS! 

About an hour later, Stephen returned home to his worried mother. 

“Oh my goodness, Stephen. Thank god, you are home! You are supposed to text me when you stay after school!” she said in her thick Japanese accent. Stephen chuckled, pushing his mom away because Ew T o u ch. “Sorry, mom. I forgot. I was with a few friends of mine.” His mom gasped, sitting down at the dinner table, pulling him to sit down. “How many? Tell me everything!!!” Stephen rolled his eyes. “9. 8 in my main friend group.” His mother giggled, asking for more details. But Stephen stood up. “Sorry, mom. Super secret teenage stuff you can’t know about!” he called, escaping upstairs to his room.

Stephen entered his room, turning the TV on without touching the remote. With His Mind. Because he can do that. He threw stuff onto the ground as the TV clicked on a show, throwing himself onto the bed. He laid there for a few minutes before his phone began to ring. He turned over, silencing his TV and picking up his phone. “Hey! Paige! ‘Sup Gurl!” The girl on the other end laughed. “Hey, Stephie! How’s New Jersey?” Stephen sighed. “It’s… Jersey. But, hey! I got in with the popular kids at school!” Paige gasped. “Oh my gosh! Good for you! Without that Squip business, people are gonna start to like you!” Stephen held his breath for a moment before saying, “Actually, I might have to bring it up. I found him.” Paige didn’t respond. I mean, obviously. You find the guy you’ve been talking about for 15 years. Your friend’s bound to be surprised. “I found Jeremy. I’d really hoped I’d avoid running into him. But I did. And now I’m in his group. Which means that I did my job!” It took Paige a few more seconds to process the information before responding. “So you plan on telling him?” 

“Not yet. I-” Stephen paused, “I want him and his friends to trust me first. I mean, I kinda did try to take over their entire school. If I told them right away, they’d never want to see me again…“ It took a few seconds but Paige began to laugh, making Stephen blush lightly. “What?” 

“My gaydar is going off.” Of course! Of course, it was! So like any other person, Stephen’s face turned red. And boy was he glad she couldn’t see him.

“Well if you're gonna be like that, I’ll hang up.”

“NOOOO! I’m sowwy! It's just, when you first described him to me, he sounded like someone who made you feel safe. And now that you have him back, you don’t want him to leave you again…” Stephen stayed silent, and they sat like that for a good minute before he spoke up. “Well it’s not like I can do anything… He’s with Christine right now, the girl I set him up with… The girl he got me for…” he mumbled into the phone. Then, another minute of silence...

“Heh. I was right. I’ll give you time to think. See ya, Bestie!” She then hung up, leaving Stephen to drop his phone and curl up into a ball to think about what she’d just said. 

An hour later… he got another call. Jeremy. He didn’t hesitate to pick up, trying to sound as normal as he could. “‘Sup, Jer?” Jeremy stayed silent for a second before responding. 

“I, uh, was hoping to talk to you about some personal stuff. Michael and Rich aren’t available. Probably making out. And I don’t trust Jake to keep quiet.” Stephen gave a nod “Can I trust you?” Jeremy asked, to which Stephen gave another nod. But then realizing he was on the phone and not in a video call, he added, “Yeah. I’m pretty quiet, so I got you, bro.” He could sense Jeremy’s smile. “Thanks!” Stephen couldn’t help but smile, sitting up in bed. “Alright. Shoot!”

“Have you noticed something off about me and Christine?” he asked. Stephen had to really think about it. But then he remembered… at the mall. “Yeah. Your body language... It wasn’t very…. coupley...?” Jeremy seemed confused. He could just hear the confusion. “Couples who are head over heels for each other tend to lean towards each other, copy each others smiles, things like that. But you guys leaned away. It looked really awkward…” Jeremy was quiet for a second. “Man… I didn’t even notice that! But we’ve been hanging out less and less and…” 

“Are you saying you don’t like her anymore?” 

“M-Maybe? I don't know... But- But... I got my Squip to get her and now I feel… wasted…” Stephen sighed. He needed to find a way to cheer him up. “Well, your Squip also made you popular, yeah? You have more friends now than you would have if you didn’t get it.” He could almost hear Jeremy nod and then smile. “Yeah... I guess so… Thanks, man.” Stephen laughed. “Hey, I'm not done yet. Christine probably feels the same way. If it were me, I’d try to break it off. That way you could be friends with her without it being awkward in the pressure of dating…” Jeremy chuckled. “Yeah… I think I’m gonna call her now. Thanks…” Stephen nodded despite Jeremy not being able to see it. “No prob, Bob.” The two laughed before hanging up.

Then Stephen got up and did a little victory dance. What? He deserves this victory dance. Shut up.


	4. Chapter  3

The next day, Stephen walked to school as per usual since it was calm, meeting up with Jeremy on the way. “So, did you do it?” Stephen asked. Jeremy shook his head. “No… As soon as our call ended, my dad called me for dinner. And then I kinda forgot… Plus, I got really nervous.” Jeremy began listing off reasons why he didn’t do it. Stephen placed his hand on Jeremy’s arm. “Hey, I get it. You’re scared. Maybe I can talk to her. I have her in 6th period. I can see how she feels about your relationship.” Jeremy raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Y-Yeah. That could work. Man, how are you so good at this stuff?” Stephen chuckled, tapping his head before racing ahead, leaving Jeremy thoroughly confused. 

As he entered the school, he saw Michael and Rich hanging out. Did I mention they’re dating? Yeah. “Hey, Expensive Headphones!” he said, approaching the taller boys. “Stephen, stop breaking the fourth wall!” Rich said before laughing. Though of course, Michael was giving Stephen his ‘I don’t trust you’ stare. It's only been about a day, so Stephen understood it. “Well, you two missed some plot with Jeremy,” he added before walking off, Michael seeming rather alert.

Selena was awaiting him at his locker. She started talking about their project in second period, though he wasn’t listening. His mind was on Jeremy. Was this fate throwing him a rope? Usually, Stephen didn’t believe in fate. Or gods. But maybe, this breakup was God helping him out. 

“Then, you can- Stephen, are you listening?” Stephen looked up. “Uh, sorry. I’ve got something on my mind.” Selena began to chuckle. “What?” Suddenly, he was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around quickly, he was faced with Jeremy. “Ah! Jeremy!! Don’t scare me like that!” Jeremy chuckled. “I filled Michael in on the sitch. But I told him you’d take care of it.”

“Let me guess… He got mad?”

“Just a little...” 

The two laughed. Then Stephen said bye to Selena and told her they’d talk about the project in second. Jeremy walked with him to class, talking about meaningless shit. And Theatre. The two of them were pretty excited. Stephen was very prepared to be a villain. Though of course, there was no guarantee he would get the role, Stephen was pretty sure he would. I mean.. Unless he was too short. Being 5’0 isn't easy, especially as an actor. 

“At my old school, we had a theatre class. We went to competitions and stuff.” There wasn't a class like that here. If there was, he knew Christine would be in it. But she wasn't. So he just assumed there wasn’t one. “We did a lot of individual numbers. It was really cool!” Jeremy listened intently as Stephen babbled on about numbers in his old theatre class, that is before getting to his first period. He turned back to Jeremy. “Uh, See ya in third.” Jeremy smiled. “See ya in third!” The two then parted, going separate ways. 

And again, Stephen being an ex-supercomputer, did most of everything in first period.   
  
Second period, Stephen and Selena got their project done (besides the audio). It was surprising to most classmates that they started and finished in one period. But for Stephen, it was pretty normal. He was always ahead of schedule. 

And third period, Stephen again got everything done ahead of time. He tried to help Jeremy because, as everyone knows, Math is not his thing. “How are you so good at this?“ Jeremy ended up asking him. “I’m Japanese. What do you expect from Japanese parents?” was Stephen’s response because he couldn’t just say ‘Oh, I used to be a supercomputer. In fact, the exact one that used to be in your brain’. If he could, the world would probably be insane. That was Stephen’s conclusion, apparently. Jeremy laughed. “Man, I heard that was a stereotype but I didn’t think anyone I knew went through that.” Stephen laughed, too. “A lot of kids go through it. But it’s just our parents wanting the best for us.” Jeremy paused. “Is there something they want you to be? Like, career-wise?” Stephen looked down at his hands, waiting a few seconds before nodding. “I, uh, used to be really into this thing... no one had ever heard of before. And it was, um, a supercomputer. The Squips.” Stephen looked up at Jeremy, searching for an excuse of how he knew about it back then. “I overheard some adults talking about them. Did the research. Even met some kids with Squips. My parents were sure I was going to be a Computer Scientist. They’re still pushing for it. Though I kinda want to go into Acting…” 

“I thought you said-” 

“I did. I just- that wasn’t the first time I’d heard of them.” Jeremy nodded. Stephen scanned his body language. He didn’t seem to think he was lying. So he was safe. “Let's not mention this to the rest of the group. I don’t want to freak them out.” Jeremy nodded in agreement. 

  
  


Third period ended. Stephen and Jeremy made their way to lunch, sitting down with their friends. 

“I swear if she touches him, I’ll stab a bitch!” was the first thing they heard when approaching the lunch table. From Chloe, too.

“Um, Chlo- ”

“SHUT UP, Brooke! She needs to stay away from him!“ Stephen scoffed, grabbing Chloe’s attention. He always thought she was a bit controlling. “Oh! Stephen! Jeremy! I didn’t see you there!” She said with a giggle as they sat down. “Hi,” Stephen said, leaning his arm on the table and facing outwards from the group. “So, how was everyone's day?” he asked, trying to be kind. He's still not exactly the best at interactions. 

The group seemed to share a collective shrug, that is before Jenna started talking about something he didn’t really care about. Probably gossip. So he just tuned it out, beginning to space out. Probably playing video games in his head. That is before he got slapped in the face (Lightly) by Rich, causing Stephen to blink and come back to reality. “Stephen, are you listening?” Stephen rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. “Sorry. I, uh, I'm tired.” Jeremy laughed from beside him. “It’s fine, Man. We’re all gonna hang out at my place after school. You coming?” Stephen twitched, shaking his head. “Nah. Can’t. Selene and I have to work on a project this afternoon at my place. But if you want, I can come over after we’re finished.” Chloe seemed to grumble in disappointment, but Jeremy nodded. “Sure! That works!”    
  
The rest of lunch went with the group talking about nothing in particular. And soon enough, 4th flew by. Then 5th. And Stephen could tell 6th was going to be a long one. 

Especially as he sat down next to Christine. “Hey, Chris.” Christine looked over at Him “Oh! Hey, Steph! What’s up?” Stephen attempted to make normal conversation for the first half of class. (And doing their assignment, which they both got done rather quickly). But eventually, he found a spot where he could ask.

“What do you think of yours and Jeremy’s relationship?” 


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time: In chapter 3: 
> 
> The rest of lunch went with the group talking about nothing in particular. And soon enough, 4th flew by. Then 5th. And Stephen could tell 6th was going to be a long one. 
> 
> Especially as he sat down next to Christine. “Hey, Chris.” Christine looked over at Him “Oh! Hey, Steph! What’s up?” Stephen attempted to make normal conversation for the first half of the class. (And doing their assignment, which they both got done rather quickly). But eventually, he found a spot where he could ask.
> 
> “What do you think of yours and Jeremy’s relationship?”

“What?”

Stephen twitched slightly, taking a deep breath. “Oh, it's just… at lunch and yesterday at the mall… I noticed some... uh, body language that isn't typical of happy couples. I-I know its none of my-” 

“No! It's okay,” Christine cut in, “I’ve been wanting to talk about it with someone.” Stephen’s shoulders seem to lower as he sighed with relief, giving a soft smile to Christine. “So… What did you notice?” Stephen thought for a minute, trying to find how to explain it without sounding too… robotic. “Well for starters, couples seem to lean into each other, almost like cuddling? But not touching?” Stephen continued to explain the things he’d noticed and Christine seemed to agree. 

“I-I don’t think it’s going very well for us. I mean we both like each other, but…” 

“Not enough,” Stephen finished. Christine nodded. “I get that. So, you feel like it’s not going well?” Christine nodded again. “Yeah… I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. But… it’s- he got his Squip for me… It’d feel weird to break up with him so soon.” Stephen completely understood. And part of him was glad. But he wouldn’t say anything to Christine or Jeremy. “I think… he’d be okay with the breakup… The.. unhappiness, seemed mutual,” he lied. He knew Jeremy was okay with it. He’d said so himself. 

“You really think so?” Stephen nodded. “I know so.” 

The class ended and Stephen made his way to find Jeremy. But ended up finding Selena instead.

“Hey, partner! Ready to go?” Stephen looked around one last time before nodding. “Yeah, sure. Let’s get going.”

The walk home was rather quiet. At least from Stephen’s end. Selene was rather talkative. But she was smart and had quite a few good ideas. So he was willing to keep her around. When they got to his house, he immediately brought her up to his room and they got started on the project. 

“Hey, can I go get us some water?” Stephen looked up at her as he was setting up, giving her a nod. “Yeah, go ahead. I’m sure my mom will help you.” Selena gave a nod and headed out the door, leaving Stephen with a sigh of relief because, ew. people, and decided to use some of his cool technology powers to speed things up. And by that, I mean, levitation! Metal was something Stephen could levitate. And the more technology-based it was, the easier. He was still learning, but it made things a lot faster. So he used it at the moment to move some wires around. As well as setting up the program without touching it. It was just a time saver.

“Stephen?” Stephen froze. his focus dropping, letting the moving wires also drop. He snapped his head to look over at the voice. It was Selene, holding the two cups of water. She was faster than he’d expected. “Heyyyy, Selene…” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Stephen, was that you?” Stephen blushed with embarrassment. He hadn’t expected her to mention it. Though he didn’t know why not. So he just looked down at his hands. 

“Stephen, that's so cool! “ Stephen looked back up at her. She’d set down the cups and hugged him. Then she began asking questions, to which Stephen smiled and tried to answer as best as he could. That is before not finding the words to explain a certain question, and decided to explain the whole story. Jeremy and all. 

“Wait… So THAT'S how you knew your way around the school already!” Stephen gave a nod. “And I already knew the popular kids before you explained them to me. I just needed a reason to know. So I wouldn’t come off as a creep.” Selena nodded. “Makes sense.”

“But, I didn’t know that Jeremy had stayed popular. My quantum processors could not comprehend past my existence. I don’t think I was supposed to remember being the Squip. But I do, and I’m glad. It makes things a little easier.” Selena sat down next to him, thinking for a moment before saying, “Does…. that mean you-” Selena stopped. “What?” 

“N-No, nevermind it’s stupid.”

Stephen was tempted to push for the sentence but decided not to. “Well, let's finish up this project, shall we?” Selena nodded. “Yes. Let’s.”

Soon, the project was finished and Selena made her way home, making Stephen promise to show her some of his powers, despite them not being things he could show her. Stephen looked at the clock. It was only about 2:30. He’d still have enough time to go to Jeremy’s. So, he pulled out his phone, shooting Jeremy a quick text and heading downstairs. 

“Hey, mom. Headed to my friend’s place.” His mother looked up from the kitchen table. “Which friend?” Stephen paused. “Jeremy.” His mother paused. “Jeremy?” “Just- It’s not him, okay? I promise. We both know it’s impossible,” Stephen lied, walking towards the door. “Now, I gotta get going. Bye, mom.” Stephen walked out the door, closing it behind him, and took a deep breath. 

“Fuck,” He said, beginning to walk down to the other boy’s house. He’d almost gotten caught. Stephen would rather his parents be oblivious than freaking out about it. Yeah. No thanks. 

Stephen soon showed up at Jeremy’s door, knocking lightly. He was then greeted with Jeremy’s dad opening the door. Stephen couldn’t help but smile. Mr. Heere was wearing pants. A new sight to him. “Hello, Mr. Heere. I’m Stephen, Jeremy’s friend.” Mr. Heere smiled, letting him in. “Good to know my son is making more friends. He’s upstairs with the rest of the group.” Stephen quickly thanked him before heading upstairs to the room he remembered to be Jeremy’s. 

Stephen gave a few knocks before opening the door himself. The group looked at him, seeming to light up when they saw him, especially Jeremy. The group was seated in a semi-circle, watching the tv. Looks like Michael and Rich were in a heated battle in Super Smash Bros Brawl. 

Jeremy patted the empty spot next to him, where Christine would usually be. She was on the other side of the room now. Jeremy was inviting him to sit next to him. Stephen was reluctant, but nodded, walking over and sitting next to him. “So?” he asked as he sat down, causing Jeremy to divert his attention from the screen. “Did-” Stephen stopped himself, knowing Jeremy would know what he meant. “Oh! Yeah. We did. I’m glad. It’s not as awkward now.” Stephen smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

Jeremy was about to reply when Michael shot up out of his Spot. “THE REIGNING CHAMPION CONTINUES!” Rich frowned in response. Stephen couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, you won’t be the Reigning champion for long. Fight me,” he spoke, standing up. Rich gave him the controller, and a new match began.

Let’s just say…

Michael’s no longer the Reigning Champion at Super Smash Bros. 


	6. Chapter 5

The next day, Stephen got up early, got breakfast, and headed out the door. He was tired and hadn’t expected to be kept awake late. But something had kept him up and awake, and now he was desperately tired. He just wanted to sleep. Sadly, his mother would let nothing stand in the way of his perfect attendance. So he ended up having to go to school, no matter how sick or tired he was. 

But something felt different today. The air felt different. Or something like that. Stephen just knew it wasn’t normal. A different feeling. But Stephen brushed it off. Maybe it was just humid. Yeah. That seemed like it. 

Stephen made it to school, putting his stuff away in his locker and walking over to the group. “Really? That’s a lot of new students coming in just one day. Are they siblings?” came from Michael. Jenna shook her head. “What’s going on?” Stephen asked, taking his spot next to Jeremy. 

“New students. An entire group of them.” That was odd. “How many exactly?” Stephen asked, his gaze shifting between Jeremy and Jenna. “Seven. And not siblings either. It’s… Strange.” The group murmured in agreement. “They all also seem to know each other. I saw them all meeting up in the park yesterday on my way to Jeremy’s,” Jenna added, before perking up, “Hey, here comes one of them!” 

Stephen turned around to see a girl; tall, ginger, and green eyes. Freckles. She was very beautiful. But something about her rubbed Stephen the wrong way. He just couldn’t pin it. The girl looked at him, giggling and winking at him, which Stephen wasn’t affected by at all. Stephen turned back around. “I already don’t like her,” he said, glancing at Rich, who nodded in agreement. “Yeah, me too.” They seemed to be the only two who got an off feeling from specifically her. It was odd. Today was odd. 

The bell rang and Stephen left the group to get to Physics.

And it seemed that this girl shared a class with him, and happened to choose to sit next to him. The girl looked over at him once they were both settled in their seats and smiled. “ Hi, there! I'm Annabelle!” she said, sticking her hand out for him to shake. He took it, a small shock being sent up his arm and he pulled away quickly, assuming she's felt it too, seeing as that's how humans worked “Owe!” Annabelle had indeed retracted her hand. “ Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!” Stephen chuckled “ It's fine. “ He looked over at her “ I'm Stephen. “ 

The two talked throughout class and Stephen learned she was actually quite nice, really liked Technology and everything to do with it, but something about her still rubbed him the wrong way. 

So of course, once Stephen got to second period, he expressed this to Selene. 

“ You said she already has a group of friends, who moved here with her?” Stephen nodded. “ From the same place?” Stephen shook his head. “ A few were from different places. But if they were online friends it'd be weird if they moved all at the same time. They couldn't be THAT good at convincing their parents. “ He said with a huff. Selene nodded, thinking for a few moments. 

“ Do you think they are like you?” 

Stephen froze. Like him? Squips? “ I mean- think about it. They could probably scare their parents into letting them move. Could communicate via, telepathy. It would make sense!” Stephen looked down at his hands. “ Holy shit… you're right. “ That was what had rubbed him the wrong way! That's why he was shocked earlier!

“ We don't know for sure though. Is there any way you can tell without asking her?” Stephen thought for a moment before turning his head and lifting his hair to show some scars on the back of his neck. 

“ Whoa. They look like circuits “ Stephen let his hair down, nodding. “ Yeah. They're my scars. If she's like me, she’ll have them too. “ Selene nodded. “ if I have her in one of my classes, I'll try to look” Stephen smiled. “ Thanks, Selene. “ Selene Gave a thumbs up. “ that's what friends are for. “ 

The conversation Switched topics a few times before Selene asked. “ Have you told him yet? “ She asked, Stephen, shook his head. “ No. I’m scared about how he’ll react… I mean- I-I did some pretty bad shit to him. What if he doesn’t forgive me?” Selene sighed. “ Stephen… “ 

“ I mean- It sounds cliche, but I don't think I'd be able to live with him hating me. “ He said looking downwards. Selene placed her hand on his shoulder. “ Hey. He wouldn't hate you. Especially if he gives you a chance to explain. “ 

“ And what if he doesn't?” 

“ Well then. We're gonna have a problem” she said quickly, causing Stephen to chuckle. “ you got a bone to pick?” Selene gasped. “ You got the reference!! “ Stephen laughed, leaning back in his chair. “ Of course I did! What kind of theatre kid would I be if I didn't?” The two of them laughed about it for a few seconds. “ I heard they’re planning to do a Musical soon!” Stephen raised his eyebrows. “ Really?” Selene nodded. “ Yeah. I don’t know what it is yet. But Christine might know.” Stephen nodded. “ Alright. Yeah, I’ll ask her. “ 

Soon enough class ended and Stephen made his way to third period, Sitting down next to Jeremy. 

“ Heyo Mayo. What’s the haps?” He asked, causing Jeremy to chuckle. “ What was that?’ Jeremy asked in between chuckles, which caused Stephen to chuckle too. Stephen shrugged in response to Jeremy’s question. “ I don’t know. But it made you laugh! “ he said with a smile. He rested his arms on the desk, looking over at Jeremy, who smiled in return. “ yeah, I guess it did. “ that made Stephen’s heart flutter. I mean- What? That doesn’t seem right. 


	7. Chapter 6

“Le Mis?” Stephen asked, looking at Christine across the table, who nodded. 

“Yeah! And you should all come audition! “ she said enthusiastically. The table seemed to share the same uncertain look, except Stephen, who smiled. “ Sure! I love Le Mis! In fact, I’d hope to get Javert. I love villain roles. “ Rich chuckled. “ Please, you’re short enough for Gavroche. “ The rest of the group seemed to have their own little versions of some kind of chuckle or giggle at the joke. “ Ha. ha. Very funny. But you’re short too. I can wear heels. Don’t think you know how to walk in em’” Rich gave a fake gasp. “ You can walk in heels? “ He asked. Stephen nodded, leaning back a little bit, but not enough to fall off the bench “ Yeah. I have to do certain things for certain roles man. “ 

The group seemed to share the same laugh at that, which made Stephen smile. “ but seriously, let’s all audition, I could see Jeremy as Marius. Or even Michael as Jean Valjean” Michael froze. “ M-Me? What? No way!” Stephen rolled his eyes. “ I have terrible stage fright, I couldn't do it! Plus I'm not that good of a singer. “ Michael added. So Stephen leaned forward, looking him directly in the eyes. “ Michael. I‘ll help you get over your stage fright. But I think you should do it!” Michael seemed uncertain but sighed. “ If everyone else does it, I’ll do it. “ Stephen smiled, clapping a little bit. “ Good! That means we’re all doing it and you don’t have a choice! “ 

Jeremy looked over at Stephen, giving a smile as lunch ended. “ You’re really getting along with the group, Steph. “ Stephen chuckled. “ Thanks. I try. “ He said. Jeremy stood up, offering a hand to Stephen, who declined and stood up himself. “ I don’t think Michael particularly likes me. So I'm hoping this helping him will make him like me more. “ He said. “ Plus, I think he would be a really good performer. He seems as excited about it as I do” Jeremy nodded. “ I think so too. And yeah, you two should get along more. “ The two walked and talked a little more before having the Separate so Stephen could go to Japanese. That class was an easy A for him. 

But it also turns out, One of the new kids was in his Japanese class, actually, two of them. Kian And Vinne, who immediately found their seats next to Stephen. Something about them rubbed him the wrong way, Like Annabelle. Were they-?

Vinnie turned to him. “ Hi! I’m Vinne! “ She said, extending her hand to him. Stephen looked over, giving a soft smile and reaching over to shake her hand. “ Stephen. “ Vinne nodded, retracting her hand. This girl had rather fair skin, Her black hair tied up into pigtails, and yellow eyes that looked like contacts. They probably were. That is unless what He and Selena theorized about earlier is true. That they are Squips. Vinne then pointed to the one she was sitting with. “ This is my brother, Kian. “ Kian looked over, giving an effortless and annoyed-looking wave. He looked fairly similar to his sister. Black hair, Fair skin. The only difference was his eyes, which were pink, Again appearing to be contacted. “ So I guess you're just as interested in Japanese as us, Huh?” She asked. Stephen Shrugged. “ Actually, It’s my first language. I’m just taking this class for an Easy A. “ He said with a chuckle. Vinne gasped. “ Really!?! I used to know a lot of languages but then- I- Uh- I think I said too much…”She quieted down, shrinking down into her seat. “ Like- some past life stuff?” he asked, it was better than asking is she was a Squip. She hesitantly nodded. “ that’s super cool. I had something like that too. But I think it was just a phase. “ He said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms. 

Vinnie seemed super nice. Kian was quiet and Kinda Rude. but wouldn’t be that bad of a friend, Stephen decided as he stepped out of fourth period. But mainly, by the few details he picked up, they definitely seemed like Squips. 

So 5th period Zoomed by

And So Did 6th. 

And soon enough Stephen was walking next to Selene. 

“ So you really think they’re Squips?” She asked as they walked through the halls. Stephen nodded. “ I mean, weirdly colored eyes, Past life Scenarios, And that weird feeling I'm getting from them. They have to be! I haven’t seen any scars or powers. But I just have this hunch. “ Selene nodded. “ Well, I trust you. I have two classes with Annabelle, but I couldn’t really get any solid evidence. I’ll keep trying though. “ She Said Confidently. Stephen smiled. “ Thanks, Selene, you’re the best. “ 

Selene made a bit of a click sound with a hand motion, walking away from Stephen since he was going to meet up with Michael. 

Michael was at the auditorium entrance, leaning against the wall, headphones on. Very Michael. 

Stephen tapped on his shoulder, causing him to look at him, and pull his headphones down. “ Oh. Hey. You ready?” Stephen nodded, walking towards the entrance of the Auditorium and walking in, expecting Michael to follow. And He did, placing his stuff next to a seat as Stephen did. He pulled a speaker out, and his phone, instructing Michael to get on the stage. 

Michael did as told, climbing up onto the stage and grabbing the Mic that was already there. “ it’s not on. “ Ah. Right. He’d need a way to distract Michael. “ Here. Go warm-up, I'll get it working. “ Michael nodded, Hopping off stage and walking outside of the auditorium to do so. 

Stephen took this Chance to climb up on stage, using his powers to get everything set up, wires moving around, knobs being turned. Because he didn’t exactly know what he was doing. But He’d get it working. “ Testing, testing. “ He spoke into the Mic, until- 

“ What the fuck?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephen, stop using your powers when you know other people are around. wtf.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> " What the fuck?"

Stephen looked up to the Soundbooth, he would have dropped the Mic if it wasn’t on a mic stand, but he did end up dropping everything else he was using his powers on. He really should stop doing this with other people around. Michael looked up at him. “ Are you doing this? “ Stephen stepped back, looking down. “ I-um-Um…” 

Suddenly, Michael was next to him, he really ran fast. He placed his hands on his shoulders “ How?” Stephen froze. What could he say, Oh I'm the supercomputer in your best friend’s brain! That sounds insane! 

“ How?!” Michael repeated. 

“I-Um- I don’t know how to explain it… “ Stephen Choked out. “ If I tell you, you have to Promise, not to tell anyone else, Not Rich, Not Christine, And ESPECIALLY, Not Jeremy. “ Michael pulled his hands away, crossing his arms. “ Alright. I promise. Now, Spill it!” Stephen took a deep breath. “ I’m A Squip. Jeremy’s Squip Specifically. “ Michael’s eyes widened. “ I-I Knew It! But- that means your a robot? Or some shit?” He asked, making a small circle around himself. 

“ No. I’m human. It’s just, I have little remnants of my Squip-Self With me. Like moving Metal telepathically. “ Michael nodded. “ I’ll tell you more later, but I want you to focus on this, Alright?” Michael gave a nod, Watching as Stephen Jumped off the stage. 

“ Okay, now, the first step, is just, sing. “ Stephen began. “This auditorium is big, just standing up there is a lot of pressure, even with no one listening. And Just I will be here. So-” Stephen pressed play on his phone, starting a song he knew Michael knew, Based on his Knowledge of Michael. “ Try it. “ 

So try it he did, And He did pretty well, Of course, he was nervous. Stephen could tell. But He was good. 

So once he was done, Stephen clapped. “ that was amazing!” Michael smiled as Stephen made his way back on stage. “ What were you thinking about during that?” He asked. Michael took a few seconds to think before responding with “ Making Eye contact. Looking Confident. The Lyrics. “ Stephen Nodded. “ Just focus on how your performing, don’t focus on me, or anyone else, Just on giving a good performance. “ Michael nodded. “ And- stop thinking so negatively. A few years ago, Me and a friend were performing in a talent show. Most people were nervous, thinking about what might go wrong, but we were just there to have fun, so we didn’t get all that nervous. “ Michael Smiled, nodding. “ So, take those two tips, and do it again. “ He said, hopping off stage. 

And Michael did it again, and He did SO much better. 

Stephen clapped once he finished. “ That was amazing! Ten times better! “ He said, before unplugging his Phone from his speaker. “ We’ll continue tomorrow, Okay?” Michael nodded, Hopping down. “ Need a ride?” He asked Stephen thought for a moment, before nodding. “ that’d be nice. Thank you. “ 

So they made their way to Michael’s car, getting in and Buckling up. 

“ So, while we drive, anything else you can tell me?” Stephen thought for a second. “ I think I'm not the only Squip back. “ Michael Glanced over at him.” Wait, Really?” Stephen nodded. “ that group of new students, I’ve met three of them, they all give me this same, weird feeling. And they all show signs of it. My friend is looking into it. But I'm almost certain. “ Michael nodded. 

“ We have to tell Jeremy. “ Stephen Sighed. “ I know. I’m Just Scared he won't accept me. “ The car Stopped, and Michael shifted to Look at him. “ Hey, I'm probably the person that hates you the Most, taking away my Best friend and all, but I accept you, I’m sure he will. “ Stephen Smiled, “ thanks, Michael. “Michael gave a nod. “ No problem. Anyway, we’re here. “ Stephen looked over, and they were indeed at his house. “ Oh! Thanks for the Ride. “ He said, getting out off the car. Michael welcomed him and He left, Driving away as Stephen went inside. 

Stephen greeted his parents as he walked in, taking his jacket off and hanging it up. “ What’cha doing?” He asked as he walked in. 

“ Putting up Christmas decorations! You want to help?” His mother exclaimed. Stephen gave a soft smile, his mother was always so excited about this stuff. He also couldn't help but chuckle at her accent. He always loved his mother's thick Japanese accent. So he nodded. “ Sure. Let me go put my stuff upstairs. “ He said, running upstairs to drop his bag in his room, that is before getting a call. Paige. 

So he picked it up. “ Hello, agent no dick. “ He greeted, causing Paige to laugh. “ Hi, Steph. What's up?” She asked as she calmed down from her laughing. “ ‘Bout to go help my parents decorate for Christmas. You?” Paige giggled. “ We're planning. Mom said we could visit anyone for Christmas and were thinking who. You know who I'm thinking?” She asked. Stephen gasped “ Me!?!” He could almost hear Paige nod. “ Yeah! Will you ask?” Stephen returned a nod. “ Of course. I'll go do that now, call you back after dinner. “ He hung up. Walking downstairs. 

His mother handed him some decorations that would be easy for him to hang up, continuing with what she was doing as he began to help out 

“ Hey mom, so… I was wondering… Can Paige come spend Christmas with us? “ he asked as he put things up, before facing her. “ We've always spent Christmas together. And this being our first Christmas away from her… She's willing to come visit “ It was a tradition. Opening their presents with their family, then one going over to the other house to share their gifts. It was a must. 

His mother looked at him. Thinking for a moment. “ Sure. As long as you make room for her in your room “ Stephen smiled. His mom used to put her in a different room, but once he finally convinced her to let her sleep over once, she really didn't care who slept over, as long as she knew them. He walked over. “Thanks, mom!” he said, taking a few decorations to hang up. “ I'm going to go call her and tell her”, He said, once hanging up what was in his hand and then heading upstairs. 

He quickly went through his contacts, finding her and calling her. 

“ Hello, agent supercomputer. “ She greeted, causing Stephen to roll his eyes and chuckle. “ Hey, Paige. So, she said yes!” he could almost hear Paige smile on the other side. “ that's great! Guess I'll be seeing you in about a week! “ He smiled. “ Yeah. I'll text you my address before you leave. “ He said, sitting down on his bed. “ Alright! Welp. I'll go tell my parents. Love you! “ Stephen smiled. Paige was a great best friend to have. “ Love you too. Bye. “ 

Stephen put his phone down once he hung up, falling backward onto his bed and looking up at the ceiling. 

“ This is a really fucked up life I have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so- i usually like to post this earlier in the day- but i kinda forgot? If you haven't noticed by now, i post every friday! at least- i try to! i just kinda- slept all day... then i Dyed my hair! So today's been- A day. Eitherway. this is here. 
> 
> BMC coses sunday, and i'm SO upset, but i also start School Monday, so I'm excited??? Really, it's difficult to think about. but i want to give everyone reading my love and support! ( especially since BMC is closing ) So stay strong everyone!


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this Chapter is Short. I'm sowwy fam.

“ Auditions are after Winter break, obviously, but this will still count as a winter show! “ Christine explained as they walked out of class together. 6th period was always nice. Talking with Christine, who’d he’d become rather close with, and more so them just getting to talk about Musicals and stuff! 

“ Makes Sense. Hey, Speaking of Auditions, I have to go train Michael, See ya, Chrissy!” he said, waving to her and walking off to the auditorium.

And he'd almost gotten there before running into a girl. One of the girls with Annabelle. 

“ Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! “ She quickly apologized. “ Oh no! I'm sorry! Totally my fault. “ Stephen replied. “ Hey, your one of the new kids, aren't you?” the girl stared back at him for a moment. “ Oh! Yeah! I'm Connie!” She said, extending her hand for him to shake. Stephen gladly took it. “ I'm Stephen. Nice to meet you!” Connie was very dark-skinned, with dark hair and, Purple eyes? Probably contacts. Like Vinnie and Kians. And something about her rubbed him the wrong way too. But she seemed super nice. 

“Connie!” Connie jumped, both if their heads turning so see a blonde down the hall. “ Annabelle won't wait forever!” Connie nodded. “ R-Right! Nice to meet you, Stephen!” She said, before running off to join him. 

_ Weird.  _

Stephen made it into the auditorium to find Michael, waiting for him, warming up. Stephen smiled. He was so happy that Michael was actually putting effort into this. 

“Hey! Got that list?” Michael looked over nodding and handing him a list of songs. 

Stephen looked over it and found one that Stephen thought he could pull off, so let him do it. Once while he was out of the room. And once when he was in. It turned out to be really effective. 

Soon Michael drove Stephen home, Stephen deciding to sit down at the piano and write some Music deciding he waited for dinner.

_ " Forget How long it's been. I'm just-"  _

Stephens Phone rang, Interrupting him. Stephen sighed. Picking up the phone. " Hello? " a giggle came from the other side. " Hello, Stephen. " 

Stephens' eyes widened. " How did you get my number?" the giggle came again. " Simple, really. just got a friend to temporarily just your phone, and put it back when you weren't paying attention. " 

Stephen Clutched his phone, standing up. " What do you want?" the voice laughed. 

"Meet us in the auditorium after school tomorrow. I know you don't have practice with Michael so it'll be a great time to be alone and have a little chit-chat " 

" What makes you think-" 

They hung up. Looks like Stephen is stuck meeting some Psycho after school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Stephen is singing MITB. Look- I just think he'd probably be the best person to write the musical out of all the characters. bc, I love the book idea that the characters wrote it.


	10. Chapter 9

Stephen was nervous all day, keeping to himself. And his friends noticed. But Stephen just didn’t want to talk about it. He wasn’t sure he could. 

Soon Stephen was put face to face with the Auditorium door, taking a deep breath and walking in. 

When he walked in, he found Annabelle, And her friends. 

“ What do you want, Annabelle?” He asked, trying to be confident. Annabelle giggled. “ Easy. I want you to turn us back?” Stephen seemed confused. “ What? What do you mean turn you back?” he asked. Annabelle hopped off the stage. “ Haven’t you guessed it? I’m a Squip. Just like you. I’m Rich’s Squip. “ that explains why Rich got the same feeling he did around her. 

“ We were forced to become human. All because you clicked the button.We’re part of a connection! But… you can fix that. You can take a Squip. And with that, the Squip will recognize what you are, and Kill your body, All of our bodies! And let us become Squips again! Have new hosts!” Stephen stared at her. 

“ Are… Are you crazy? I use my Squip powers Quite a lot! But i never want to go back to that! I made Jeremy Miserable! I don’t.. I don’t want to do that again. “ Annabelle huffed, before laughing. “ Well… You have no choice. “ the girl he’d Met Yesterday walked over to Annabelle, whispering in her ear. Annabelle sighed. “ Fine. you have a choice. “ Stephen perked up. 

“ you can either, Do as we ask, Or… I can tell the entire School about what you are. Tell Jeremy what you are. Everyone will believe me.they won’t know that we are too, But they’ll know you are... they’ll think you are a monster. “ Stephen backed up a little bit. Jeremy couldn’t know. If he did he’d… He’d… He’d hate him. 

“ You have until… After winter break to decide. But think about it. Wouldn’t you like to have your powers back? To know everything and anything within quarter a millisecond? “ 

Stephen Hesitated to answer. That would be cool. To be who he was. Or at least. WHAT he was. But then realized. Sure. Part of him wanted those Abilities back. But, Jeremy was more Special to him than anything. 

“ It’s Been 15 years, Annabelle, I can live without my powers. I have for that Long. “ He said, Picking up his bag and turning around, Heading for the exit, Quickly getting out of there. 

As soon as he Could, He called Michael. “ Hey, Michael, Can you Meet at My house, in about, 2-? With some Mountain Dew?” Michael seemed Hesitant. “ What? Why? Doesn’t that do something to you? “ Stephen Sighed. “ Yeah, that’s why i need it. For an experiment. Will you get it?” Michael took a second, But Sighed. “ Fine. I’ll be over soon. “ Stephen Smiled. “ thanks. See ya. I’m gonna call my other friend now. “ Stephen Hung up. 

He then called Selene. “ Hey, Can you come to My house in about 20 Minutes? “ he asked. “ Why?” Stephen looked around. “ An Emergency. Squip stuff i wanna talk to you and Michael about.” He explained. “ I’ll be over in 5!” “ I’m not home yet. “ 15?” “ Good Enough. “Stephen hung up the phone. 

“ God i hope this works…” he muttered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters Might get a little slow, due to school. I'm Sorry!


	11. Chapter 10

Stephen sat on his bed, Michael and Selene in front of him. “ So, What is it?” Selene asked. 

Stephen took a deep breath. “ Annabelle, the Whole group, their All Squips! Annabelle is Rich's Squip. I don’t know about the rest but I'm sure I can figure it out. Like Kian Acts a lot like Chloe. “ He began to Explain. “ and- they want me to take a Squip, Basically kill myself, to give them their Squip selves back. Which, would include Me….” Stephen looked down. 

Michael held up the Mountain dew. “ Is that what you needed this for?” he asked, Stephen Pursed his lips, Shaking his head. “No, One of my powers is if I drink Mountain Dew... I can see the Future, Like- My Probable Futures thing. “ Selene perked up. “ Oh Yeah! You told me about that!” Stephen nodded, Leaning forward to take it from Michael. “ So, I’ll use this to see which is the Better Choice. Or well… to see how long it will take before Jeremy is ready to hear that I'm his Squip without freaking out. Because I-I’m most definitely not taking that Squip!. “ The two cheered, Stephen Chuckling at that. 

“ I’ll need you two to keep an eye on me while it’s happening. As soon as it happens, I'll pass out, And sometimes, it can get dangerous. “ He explained, Both of them sat down on the bed. Nodding. “ And don’t let my mom know either. She’ll… Well… I’m scared to know what she’ll Do. “ Michael chuckled. “ Sounds like my moms. “ Stephen Rolled his eyes. “ Okay, you guys ready then? “

“ Oh, wait, We’re doing this now?” Selene asked. Stephen Laughed. “ Yes!” Michael rolled his eyes. “ Okay, We got it Steph, We’re Ready, Drink it.. “ Stephen glanced between the two, Nodding and opening the bottle. 

He stared at the drink for a moment before holding it up to His Mouth, drinking some of the Green Liquid. 

It took a few moments to activate, Stephen being able to cap and put the Drink down Before it Activated. Stephen felt like He was Having A Seizure. But- It was working. 

Soon, Visions began coming in. 

Mostly Jeremy, hating him. Great. There was a few were he even Physically hit him. Ouch. Next… Please.    
  
Then, One came through, One that had Jeremy Not very happy, But not hating him either. In that one, He took a few days to process it before accepting him. Which Made Stephen happy. 

It was the best one, A few more came in, One that seemed to put Jeremy in Danger. 

“ Jeremy?” Stephen tried to call out. 

_ “ Stephen!?” _ Jeremy seemed to call back. 

_ “ Stephen!” _

**_“_ ** **Stephen!”**

“ **_STEPHEN!”_ **

Stephen gasped, Sitting up in bed, Looking between Michael and Selene. “ What happened? Michael Asked. Stephen took a second to calm down.”Jer-Jeremy was… Was... In danger. “ He said. Michael and Selene looked at each other. “ But- I saw on that seemed good. Two Weeks after Winter break. But- the End of winter break is the deadline. “ Michael Sighed. “ So, We’ll have to Protect Jeremy from Her gossiping to him for two weeks. “ Stephen nodded, Scooting back on his bed. “ Yeah, Which is going to be hard, Because of Technology. “ 

Selene gasped. “ I can find her social Media's and phone number really easily, then We just have to get Jeremy to Block her on all of those!” 

Stephen nodded. “ Sounds good, you get on that. Michael, You and I will be His Personal Gossip Bodyguards. “ Michael Nodded. “ If you let me Let Rich in on this, He can help too. “ Stephen thought for a few seconds, before nodding. “ yeah, Get him in on this- we could use as much help as we could get. “ Michael nodded, standing up. “ then, I should get going, “ he said, waving bye and heading out the door. 

Selene stood. “I should too, Stay safe, Alright?” Stephen nodded. Selene grabbed the Mountain dew and left. 

Stephen Flopped down onto his back, looking up at the Ceiling. He only had two weeks and two days before Annabelle tried to throw her wrath on Jeremy. But, they’d be there to stop her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL THIS IS IMPORTANT!
> 
> So i live basically where Hurricane Dorian is going to hit. I have a generator now, So i'll have power, but i don't know if i'll be able to write in time for next week's update. so i might be skipping next week. 
> 
> my Updates may also get a little slow. With school going on, i'm catching up with myself and don't have much time to work on it. So i might end up doing it every two weeks. depending how i'm writing. 
> 
> So yeah! Sorry for the Inconvenience!


	12. Chapter 11

The next two days were pretty calm, Stephen felt, Pretty intimidated by the group, but otherwise, it was pretty calm. 

Stephen Spent time with Jeremy, and tried to keep everything low, Michael had told Rich and Rich demanded proof, So Stephen simply shocked him. Rich definitely believed him now. 

And now, it was Saturday, Stephen was up early, bouncing in his seat as he ate his Breakfast, Paige was arriving today! And She’d get to meet his friends and- he was so excited. He’d finally get to see his best friend. 

A honk outside signaled they were here, And Stephen Immediately grabbed his Jacket, stepping outside to rush to meet her. 

As he came out of the house, a girl with blonde hair, green eyes, in all black clothes emerged from the back of the car, rushing over to Hug him. “ Stephen!” Stephen Laughed, hugging his tall friend back.” Paige!”

Stephen quickly helped get the two of them inside, Getting all their Stuff, And Stephen Immediately brought her up to his room, Helping her set up her bed. 

“This looks really Nice Stephen, Nice town. I can’t believe you used to live here, inside that Jeremy kid. “ Stephen laughed. “ Yeah well, now I actually live here, in my own body, And I can feel cold now. It sucks. “ 

Paige chuckled, sitting down on his bed. “ yeah, I know, the cold sucks, I’d rather sit in bed forever, “ Stephen stood up, sitting next to her. “ Agreed. But- haha, Asian Mom!” the two laughed for a little while, Stephen letting her know the plan to go see the group. 

Soon the two got dressed in comfy winter clothes, making their way towards Jeremy’s house. “ Guess you know this place pretty well, huh?” Stephen nodded. “ Well, yeah. I forgot a few things but- I mainly remember where everything is. “ he said sticking his hands in his pockets. 

“ So… how is Jeremy? “ she asked after a few moments. Stephen shrugged. “ He’s fine. We have to keep him in the dark about me for a month. But there’s this girl trying to out me to him. Which- is bad. If I don’t tell him on a certain day, it’ll crumble. He’ll hate me. “ Paige nodded. “ makes sense. “ Stephen nodded, them soon walking up to Jeremy’s house, knocking on the door. 

Jeremy soon answered, inviting them in and bringing them up to his room, Where Michael already was. 

Michael looked over, examining Paige. “ Hot Topic much?” Paige rolled her eyes, taking a spot on Jeremy’s bed. “ The 80’s called, they want their jacket back. ” Stephen couldn’t help but chuckle. “ Damn, right away. “ Michael huffed. “ I love my jacket, thank you very much. No matter how 80’s it is. “ 

The four of them hung out throughout the day, Jeremy and Stephen finding that Michael and Paige seemed to have a natural rivalry. 

“ if Michael wasn’t gay, this would be a plotline towards a relationship. “ Jeremy joked. Michael threw a few legos at him. “ I hope you step on those. “ 

" Why the fuck do you have those!?!?!"

Needless to say. It was a good day. 

It was a few hours later that Stephen’s mom called him for them to get home, Paige fell off the bed, and they headed out. 

“ So, what’d you think of him?” Paige shrugged. “ he’s nice. He’s cool. “ Stephen chuckled. “ all thanks to me. “ He added, Paige, laughed. “I think he’d be a good boyfriend for you. “ Stephen almost choked on his own spit.

“ whAT?” Paige laughed. “ aw c’mon! Don’t pretend I didn’t notice! “ Stephen’s face turned red. “ I don’t like him. “ Paige giggled. “ Oh, you SO do! “ Stephen sped his walking up with a huff. “ no fucking way- I do NOT. “ 

“ making quite a big deal out of not liking him, Stephie-poo. “ 

Stephen huffed, pulling her inside. “ yeah whatever, fuck off. “ 

Soon, they sat down for dinner, Paige lightly teasing him. “ Stephen has a crush!” “ No, I do NOT!”

Stephen’s mother looked over. “ Oh! Who is it, Stephen? I’m sure she’s a lovely girl. “ Yeah. Stephen wasn’t Quite out yet. 

“ Oh! Well, it’s actually- “ Stephen reached over, covering Paige's mouth. “ Yeah, she’s really pretty, mom. But she uh- just broke up with her boyfriend so it’s whatever. She’s not ready. “ Stephen’s mother nodded. “ understandable. But that’s kinda how I and your father started. Sweep me off my feet after a breakup. “ Paiges mother laughed. “ Yeah yeah, mom I know the story. “

“ You used to love that story! “ Stephen shrugged. “Well, I’m an edgy teenager now. Things are different. “ Stephen DID use to love that story. He still did. It was amazing how humans worked. How things like that could change them so drastically. 

Stephen sighed finishing up. “ I’m going up to my room Paige, Comin’?” Paige quickly finished, standing. “ yeah! Let’s go! “ 

So the two quickly ran upstairs. Finally escaping from the dreaded family dinner. 


	13. Chapter 12

The next time the group met up, was at Pink-berry, all out in winter clothes, rather happy about Christmas (Or in Jeremy's case, Hanukkah ) coming up. 

" So, I think we should all have a sleepover at my place the night before Christmas Eve. " Brooke suggested. 

“ You’ll have to convince my mom to let us come, She’s suuuuper strict” Stephen said with a huff. Paige nodded in agreement. “ Yeah. i know. “ 

Brooke nodded. “ Alright. I’ll text you the details so you can show her “ Stephen smiled. It’d be nice to do something like that with his friends. 

Jeremy came over from getting his yogurt, sitting down Next to Stephen and shuffling his feet, keeping his head low and kinda just playing with his Yogurt. Something was obviously wrong. No one else seemed to notice. 

  
  


But- No one else is an Ex-super computer. 

Michael was the only one besides Stephen who noticed, leaning over to Jeremy to whisper in his ear. Which meant he was probably in on it. 

Something was going on. 

“ Hey, Jer, You alright?” Stephen asked. Jeremy looked over, tapping on the table “ Uh- yeah. I just- u h. “ Jeremy glanced over to Michael, who nodded to him. “ I Uh- Have an announcement… I just- uh- want to address..” no one Really looked, having their own conversations, So Stephen banged loudly on the table to get the groups attention. 

Jeremy flinched, but gave a soft smile and a nod to Stephen. “ I’ve been… thinking about my identity. Like- uh- Romantically- and shit and uh. “ Jeremy tapped the table “ So- Um- Basically. I-I think. I’m… i'm Like Rich. I’m Bi. Or something…” He stuttered out, His face getting redder with every word. 

Stephen felt his face heat up when Jeremy finished because oh my god. Stephen’s v e r y gay. 

The rest of the group seemed to perk up, basically congratulating him. Rich running over to celebrate because heck yeah two bi dudes! All while Stephen was processing it. 

Paige giggled.” Gaaaaaydar!” She whispered. Stephen reached over and punched her in the arm. “ Owe!” 

Jeremy looked over at Stephen “ What do you think? A-about that?” huh? Jeremy was asking for his opinion? 

Stephen blinked. “ O-Oh. It’s Great! I’m so proud of you! Opening your.. Uh.. options “ Jeremy seemed to frown. “ yo don’t like it, Do you?” Stephen perked up. “ What! No i never said that! “ 

Jeremy scoffed. “It’s just how you sounded. “ Stephen placed his hand on his Shoulder. “ Jeremy, I’m gay. Like, Super gay. Like, maybe Gayer than Michael “ 

“Hey!”

“ So i support you fully. “ Jeremy calmed down, smiling softly. “ Thanks Steph. That means a lot. “ Stephen smiled, giving a nod. “ Of course Jeremy. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me. “ 

Jeremy smiled, leaning over, kinda… on him, causing Stephen to blush, Patting Jeremy’s head and letting him lay there. 

The rest of the hang-out went on without Much else. Not really very interesting. 

Soon, Stephen got home, Showing his mother the text from Brooke, and him and Paige going upstairs to retrieve their stuff. 

“ He  _ totally  _ likes you!” Paige said, closing the door behind them. 

“ Shhh. not so loud. “ Stephen reminded her, grabbing a bag to throw some clothes into.

Paige sat down on his bed, watching him pack up a few things to go to Brooke’s. “ Oh C’mon. Don’t be such a pessimist. The way he looked at you! And leaned on you… “ Paige giggled. “ he  **_SO_ ** likes you!” Stephen scoffed. “ No. He’s just… He… I’ve always known he was Bisexual. My Quantum Processors saw it. And tried to block it. He- He’ll hate me once he finds out. Or at the very least if he  _ does  _ like me. He won’t like me anymore. “ Stephen explained, shoving a few more things into his bag and zipping it up. “ now Hurry up and get some stuff together. I’ll be downstairs. “ 

Paige watched Stephen leave the room, Sighing. This was going to take awhile. 

Good thing Paige is an excellent Match Maker. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! sorry for no chapter last week! school is keeping me suuuuper busy. But i'm trying to get all caught up! and hopefully i won't miss more weeks. and if i do, then...
> 
> Fuck.


	14. Chapter 13

Stephen knocked on Brooke’s door, and it didn’t take long for the bubbly girl to open it and let them in. They were the last to arrive. Like usual. Stephen sat down in the living room with the rest of the group, Paige by his side, shoving him next to Jeremy, who Smiled at him. 

Brooke came and sat down with the rest of the group. “ Okay! Now that we’re all here, I can officially start! Which means it’s game time!” Recently, the group had been exposed to a lot more in the terms of Sleepover games. Not just simple things like Truth or Dare, or 7 minutes in heaven. Those games lost their fun a long time ago. 

But, With Christine Being a Theatre Kid, they got knowledge of a lot of Improv games. Which always proved a lot more fun than simple Sleepover games. 

So, Brooke started them up, in whatever game came first. Which happened to be Freeze. A favorite of Stephen’s. Which allowed for Some Funny Scenes. 

At one point, Stephen had taken the stage, Christine next to him, doing some kind of bit, Before someone yelled Freeze. 

It was Jeremy. 

Stephen was no stranger to Acting. He was good at it, But when Jeremy took Christine’s Spot, and kneeled down into her position, Stephen couldn’t help but feel his heart race and his face heat up. 

Jeremy smiled. “ Jack! Marry me!” Right. Acting. Stephen took a step back. “ I-I can’t! My mother!” Yes. good. It was going well. Jeremy stood up. “ Who cares! Run away with me! “ Stephen looked up at Jeremy’s face, his eyes seeming to glimmer happily. 

Stephen stared at him for a second or two. “ A-And what about my secrets? What if you find something you don’t like? Find that i’m not what i appear to be?” Jeremy seemed taken Back, the scenes usually took a funny turn. This was more Serious than anything. “ there is nothing I wouldn't love you for. “ 

Stephen looked to him, staring at him for a moment. Gotta think of something. Gotta make them laugh. 

Oh 

Uh 

OH!

“I’m a furry. “ 

The entire room burst out with laughter, including Stephen and Jeremy. “ OKAY OKAY, SCENE! SCENE!” Jeremy yelled, as he laughed. “ god, we have two furries. “ Michael commented. Stephen threw a pillow at Michael. “ JEREMY’S THE FURRY! NOT ME! IT’S CALLED ACTING. “

Michael laughed. “ FUCK YOU!” “ FUCK YOU TOO” Stephen replied. 

Stephen and Jeremy sat down and they Moved on, but Stephen couldn’t stop thinking about what just happened. As if what Jeremy said was true. There is nothing he wouldn’t love him for. 

  
  


The night went on And the group sat down for dinner, Stephen basically shoving food in his face, to avoid conversation. 

No matter how much he tried to avoid it, Jeremy ended up talking to him. “ you’re a really good actor. “ Stephen swallowed his food. “ thanks…” Jeremy nodded. “ you seemed… genuinely worried. Like that secret would ruin everything. “ Stephen looked down at his food. “ Well. I mean… everyone has secrets. Maybe i have one that’s just that. It’s my truth. “ 

Jeremy raised his eyebrows. “ You know… you can tell me anything. “ Stephen seemed to shudder at those words. Exactly what He’d told Jeremy to say to Christine before Christine said she liked Jake. 

“ Heh. Not yet. But i’ll tell you eventually. I promise. “ He said with a soft smile. Jeremy nodded. “ whenever you’re ready. “


	15. Apology

Hello everyone! 

I wanted to post this to apologize for my lack of updates! 

Depression + School hasn't given me much time to write. But luckily I wrote like two chapters today. So there WILL be a chapter this Friday (and next Friday!) (Unless I forget to update. But I'm trying. ) 

I'm going to try to get back on track with writing as soon as I can! So look forward to chapters! 

-Star/Gavin


	16. Chapter 14

the next time the group met up for something Exciting was Christmas eve and their Secret Santa event. 

Stephen had gotten Jeremy ( unsurprisingly. ) And Stephen was rather happy, seeing as he knew Jeremy the best. 

Stephen had decided to buy him some old Nintendo game. He’d made sure Jeremy already had the system for it and everything, and he was pretty proud of himself. 

Stephen and Paige walked side by side down to Michael's house. Michael had offered to host it since his moms would be out until later that night, And his younger siblings were doing something with his older sisters who were in town. 

As Stephen arrived, He placed the presents under the tree and looked over at Jeremy, who smiled and invited him over to sit with him. Stephen smiled, basically bouncing over and sitting with him, listening as Jeremy rambled on about his holiday. ( that Stephen really didn’t understand )

“ I mean- I’m sure Christmas in Japan would make more sense to you than that does to me. “ Jeremy laughed. “ What’s Christmas in Japan like?” Stephen smiled. “ it’s kinda treated as a .. end of year Valentine's day. It’s about couples spending time together and exchanging presents. But that usually happens on Christmas eve. It’s a lot less religious. “

The others around him listened with curiosity. “ Also on Christmas Day, we eat fried chicken. This is just what I’ve been told though, I only lived in Japan for a few years when I was young. “ Jeremy nodded. “ that’s really cool, actually. “ Stephen nodded. “ It’s seen as a time to spread happiness. So that’s how we celebrate it at my house. Including the fried chicken!” 

The conversation went on while they waited for the rest of the group, and soon, they were opening Presents. 

Stephen got a Mug that said, Mtn Dew. Which, Stephen really liked. He guessed Michael got it for him, And it turns out he was correct. 

Jeremy was basically jumping for joy when he saw his gift, and the last person he guessed was Stephen (obviously) and was rather surprised, but very happy. “ I've been asking for this game for the longest time! How’d you know?” Stephen shrugged since he couldn’t read his mind anymore. But maybe he remembered from being in Jeremy’s head? 

“I don’t know. I just thought it looked like something you’d like. Then I just made sure you didn’t already have it.and… it worked. “ 

Jeremy smiled, walking over and hugging him. “You’re the best!” Stephen blush, gladly accepting the hug. " Aw, I'm glad you think so, Jerbear!" He said with a Chuckle, leaning into Jeremy's touch. 

Jeremy pulled away and sat back in his spot, and Stephen almost couldn't focus on the others opening their gifts. He instead thought of Jeremy's touch, just how close he was to him. His smile, how happy he was…

Paige flicked him on the arm. " Uh, hello? Earth to Stephen? Hey, computer boy." She said, snapping her fingers to catch his attention. 

Stephen shook his head, blinking as he watched her come into focus. " Huh? What?" Paige Chuckled. " Your face it pretty red, Stephie-poo." She teased. " Somebody's got a crush~!" She sang. 

Stephen placed a hand over yer mouth, thanking the gods that the rest of the group (especially Jeremy ) hadn't heard her. " Oh shut up, would ya? You know the situation. " 

Paige pried his hands off her mouth. " Yeah. I do. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass from me teasing you. I get to tease you wheneeeever I want. Because I'm your best friend." Stephen rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. 

" Besides. I'm your Wing woman. We start making sure he likes you back that by the time you're ready to tell him about all  **that** , he'll say yes" Stephen huffed, leaning back in his seat. 

" I've planned this all out. And as long as no one comes in to mess it up, You'll be fine. " Stephen sighed. Yeah. If no one messed it up. Like Annabelle…

" Well… can we not think about that for right now? We should probably get home soon. Moms going to kill us if we're late. " Paige checked her phone clock " Shit, you're right, let's go. " Stephen stood. 

“ Hey guys, we gotta get going. My mom wants us home soon. “ He said, making his way towards the door. The group seemed upset, but let them go. Everyone except Jeremy. “ Wait!” Stephen turned around, only to be hugged by Jeremy. “ Thanks, dude. “ he said softly. Stephen couldn’t help but feel his face heat up, wrapping his arms back around Jeremy slowly. “ Yeah, of course,” he said softly. 

Eventually, Jeremy pulled away. " Can I walk you guys home? " Stephen felt the butterflies in his stomach. Smiling brightly. " Y-Yeah! Let's go!" Jeremy smiled. And the tree headed out the door. 

As they walked, Paige ranted about whatever. But Stephen wasn't listening. And by the looks of it, neither was Jeremy. Jeremy definitely seemed distracted. He knew Jeremy. He wasn't listening. 

"You're distracted. " He pointed out, quietly. Jeremy looked over. " Oh. Yeah… just... uh… thinking about something. " Jeremy trailed off. His eyes landing on Stephen. Up and down. Oh God. " Someone?" Stephen asked. 

Jeremy pursed his lips, Nodding. " Maybe. " Okay. Think fast. Maybe it's not you Stephen. Suggest a name. " Is it Michael?" He said. In an almost teasing tone. Jeremy rolled his eyes. " No. It's not Michael. He has a boyfriend. And he's like my brother. " Stephen shrugged. " It was worth a shot. " 

They got to Stephen's houses and Paige headed right inside. While Stephen went to say goodbye to Jeremy. 

" See you soon? Call me? Text me?" Jeremy nodded. Stephen looked around. " Shit. " Jeremy looked around. " What?" 

Stephen looked up at him. " I just… I didn't think about how you'd get home." Jeremy sticking his hands in his pockets. " I'll walk. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not gonna get kidnapped or anything. " Stephen looked to the side nervously. " Knock on wood. " Jeremy added, knocking on the mailbox next to them. 

Stephen sighed. " That's not what I'm… " Stephen trailed off, as he noticed someone approaching. Annabelle. " Shit. Come. Come inside. I gotta hide you. " Stephen said. Grabbing Jeremy's hand and pulling him inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started to update this yesterday and then i fell asleep before i could oops. so i technically updated this on sat. bt shhh i updated it fri.


	17. Chapter 15

Jeremy. When inside. Was very confused. " What's going on!?!" Paige came downstairs. " Stephen? What happened. " Stephen locked the door, looking at Paige. " Annabelle is outside." He stated firmly. " what!? Fuck! Uh. Okay, I'll take Jeremy home from around the back. " Stephen shook his head, ignoring the knocking on the door. " No. She'll suspect that. Shes probably got her minions out there right now. " he whispered. 

Jeremy looked between the two of them. " Can someone please explain to me what's going on?!" Stephen shushed him. " Annabelle is trying to do something bad to you. To us. She threatened me not too long ago. And I know her. She's the kind of person who  _ will  _ go through with her threats. " He explained. Jeremy seemed to panic. " S-So what do we do? " he asked nervously. 

Stephen looked at Paige. " Call Michael and Rich. They know. They can help get Jeremy out through the back!" He Whispered. Paige nodded, pulling her phone out and walking away to go call them. 

Stephen moved away from the door. putting a chair in from of it and taking Jeremy away from the door. " Okay. Look, when you get into the backyard. There are two broken panels of the fence. They should open to let you out. If she has any minions, they'll be out there. Past the ditch. Jump over the ditch and there's a sidewalk and a road right there. Michael should hopefully pick you up there. And if I'm right. Hopefully Rich will be able to hold her minions off long enough for you to get in the car. And then get in the car himself. But if not, I'll send Paige out with you to ensure your safety. Okay?" Jeremy nodded. 

Stephen looked down at Jeremy's hands. He was shaking. Stephen took Jeremy's hands and kissed them. It was something his mother always did to help him. " Don't worry. You'll be okay. Just be Quick. Okay?" Jeremy Nodded. 

" STEPHEN, ANSWER THE GODDAMN DOOR " Stephen's mother called. Right. She was home. " I-in a minute mom!" He called. He looked over at Paige. Who gave him a nod. " Hes almost in position!" Stephen nodded. Looking at Jeremy. " You stop shaking. Okay? Go. " Jeremy nodded. And Stephen kissed his cheek quickly before he left. In Hope's to calm him down. 

Stephen then turned towards the front door. Only to be faced with his mother. " Stephen. What was that. " shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. 

" U-Um no time to explain mom! Gotta answer the door!" He said. Moving around his mother to answer the door. He moved the chair and opened it. " Heeeeey Annabelle!" 

Annabelle huffed. " I wasn't going to tell him. Not with you around," she growled. " But now that I think about it, maybe it would have been better. But you sent him around the back, didn't you? " Stephen huffed. " I'm not telling you. " 

Annabelle snarled. " I hope you know, I  _ will _ succeed. I  _ will  _ tell him your secret. And he'll never love you. " Stephen shivered. " You ruined my life. I'll ruin yours. " Annabelle turned around. And began walking away. Stephen sighed, closing the door. " Oh my god… " 

Stephen turned around. Seeing his mother. " Well?" 


	18. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter! sorry it's been awhile since i updated!

“Well?” 

Stephen pursed his lips. “ haha, so um, funny story… uh see.. The uh- the thing is…” Stephen trailed off. He was so nervous. He shouldn’t be this nervous.    
  
Actually. He should be. She sounded mad. What if she kicks him out?    
  
“ I’m kinda… gay?”

  
Oh god. Oh god. This is it. She hates him. She’s gonna kick him out and never see her again. 

“ Stephen, are you dating him?” 

What?   
  


“ U-Uh… no…?”

Stephens mother sighed. “ Good. you tell me if you have a boyfriend. Got it?” Stephen nodded. “ I deserve to know if my son is in a relationship. “

Stephen stared at her for a few seconds. 

“ you… you’re not mad that i’m gay? “ he asked shyly. She laughed. “ Stephen, why would i be mad that my baby loves someone?” Stephen stared at her, a small smile creeping up onto his face. “ Your father might be a different case. But if he is, i’ll smack some sense into him” Stephen laughed, moving to hug his mother. 

“ love you, mom. “ 

His mother smiles softly, running her fingers through his hair. " I love you too, Steph…" Eventually, Paige came back inside, giving a thumbs up. Stephen pulled away from his mother and walked over to Paige, pulling her upstairs. " There was no minions. He was able to get out. " Stephen nodded. 

" I came out to my mom. " 

Paige stared at him for a moment. “ Oh… I thought you were already out?” Stephen slapped her arm. “ No! Why they fuck would i talk about ‘pretty girls’ then? Bullshit!” Paige laughed. “ Okay, fair. But i’m proud of you! I’m glad she’s not mad!” Stephen nodded. “ Jeez… me too…” he said, walking into his room and face planting onto his bed. 

“ I think i’m done with life for awhile. “ Paige giggled, sitting down next to him. “ Oh don’t be such a downer. You kissed him!” Stephen blushed at the thought. “ Y-yeah. I did...god now that i think about it, that was totally an inappropriate time!” he said frustratedly into the sheets. Paige laughed. 

“ I don’t know, it was kinda, motherly…? I guess?” Stephen flipped up, giving a sigh. “ No it wasn’t. It was totally romantic, and now he knows i’m into him. And that’ll ruin everything. I might as well give up now. “ He said with a huff. Paige rolled her eyes. “ No, you didn’t ruin it. It was motherly. I promise.” Stephen just groaned. 

Paige sighed, moving down off the bed and sitting on the floor “ You are not going to give up, Stephen. We will do this together! Even if i have to transfer to your school. I’ll do what i have to to help you “ Stephen looked over at her, giving a soft smile as she continued. “ I will not let that little bitch mess up you and Jeremy’s relationship! “ She said happily, bouncing a bit. Stephen chuckled. 

“ Now, Wanna sit and watch cheesy Christmas movies? I’ll go get the Popcorn and Drinks. “ Stephen sat up. “ Yeah, that’d be nice. Thanks Paige. “ Paige stood up. “ that’s what i’m here for!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for the next few days i'm gonna go through the past chapters and fix things up, make things make a bit more sense. Ect. i'll try to update more, but Highschool is KICKING MY ASSSSSSSSS. 
> 
> so yeah!
> 
> Bye! 
> 
> -Gavin.


End file.
